LAFAYETTE, Ind.— The nostalgia will be heavy for many Lafayette residents when the doors to Noble Roman's Craft Pizza and Pub open in May.

Patrick O'Neil, co-owner and operator of the Tippecanoe County Dairy Queen franchise locations, said he and his wife, Holly's, Noble Roman's restaurant will be the very first franchise of this concept beyond the convenience store locations in Indiana, located at 3540 SR 38 E in the old Hollywood Video.

The Lafayette and West Lafayette Noble Roman's restaurants closed their doors in February 2000 after the company entered a partnership with Subway and TCBY, turning the focus on the company's non-traditional restaurants.

"This restaurant is going to modernize the old nostalgia of the Noble Roman's Greater Lafayette knew so many years ago," O'Neil said.

Along with the traditional recipes for the restaurant's pizza and bread sticks, O'Neil said he will be bringing back a spin on the projector the old restaurants use to run, playing old black and white movies for patrons to watch as they dined.

"Back then, there weren't TV's in restaurants, so they had this old school projector that ran," he said. "I remember Noble Roman's being an absolutely wonderful place as a kid, and I think it is the best pizza I have ever had in my life. A lot of people remember it that way."

The pizzas won't be hand tossed as customers may remember, O'Neil said, but the dough recipe is exactly the same.

O'Neil said patrons will be able to see the pizza dough being made daily behind a glass encased "dough room," giving more insight to the construction of Noble Roman's classic pizzas.

Along with a bar serving 16 different beers on draft, kegs of root beer and orange soda will be available as beverages as well, O'Neil said. The restaurant will have the ability to seat approximately 150 people, with a square footage of around 4,200 feet.

O'Neil said the restaurant will also offer "pizza valet," where call-in customers will give a description of the vehicle picking up the pizza, park in a space just outside the restaurant to then have an employee bring their order out to them.

The restaurant aims to open its doors by May 1, O'Neil said, if construction continues to move along as scheduled. Hours of operation will be daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

O'Neil said the restaurant is still hiring. Anyone wishing to apply for open positions may do so at nrpindiana.com.

Contact reporter Jillian Ellison at 765-420-5228 or at jeellison@gannett.com.